


O' Christmas Tree

by Malana



Category: Deadwood
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-12-20
Updated: 2009-12-20
Packaged: 2017-10-04 17:11:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,014
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/32517
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Malana/pseuds/Malana
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Al ruminates on Johnny's request for a tree.</p>
            </blockquote>





	O' Christmas Tree

**Author's Note:**

  * For [chicating](https://archiveofourown.org/users/chicating/gifts).



Johnny was angling for a Christmas tree, and so far, Al had resisted the urge to smack him for it. So far. Even if he had been the type to go in for holidays, and god knows he wasn't, a Christmas tree did not belong in a fucking saloon. Whether they were drinking, gambling, or partaking of a bit of strange, Al did not need his customers to see a bright and shining reminder of Jesus fucking Christ. It was not a smart business move.

The idea of chopping down a tree, dragging it indoors and slapping some candles and decorations on it still seemed like a ridiculous one to Al. They may be all the rage now, just like Johnny maintained, but Al simply couldn't see the point. He didn't care if it was what all the rich folks in New York and Chicago were doing.

Dan had gotten in on the fucking act, too. He may not have done the childlike whining that Johnny did, but he did suggest that it might bring in more customers. He might even be right about that, but if it meant dealing with the same shit that piano had brought about, it wasn't fucking worth it. The drinking songs and the like were bad enough, but if he had to hear the off-key wailing of people singing "God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen" or god-forbid that new "Jingle Bells" shit, he'd have to start slitting throats.

Even Trixie had thrown her opinion into the mix, loathe as she usually was to voice her thoughts when it came to this kind of shit. Why Trixie, of all people, would suddenly start caring about Christmas, Al couldn't begin to fathom. But she'd become difficult to predict ever since she'd taken up with that Star fellow. Why consorting with a Jew would put her in the Christmas spirit, Al had no idea. He'd pretty much given up trying to understand that loopy cunt these days.

Apparently Tom Nuttall had bought a tree for his place. That was a brilliant idea. A dry tree, lit candles, a bunch of drunks, and a building that Charlie Utter had almost shut down in his capacity of Fire Marshall. If Deadwood got through the week without a building burning down, it'd be out of pure fucking luck more than common sense.

But people just had to have a damned tree.

Did these people really expect him to take a sudden turn for the warm and nostalgic simply because the fucking day on the fucking calendar? Even if he were the type prone to nostalgia and the like, what the fuck was he supposed to be nostalgic about, exactly? What great Christmases he'd spent at the orphanage? Or with his whore of a mother before that? Al had never had any of it in the past and he didn't see the point in having it now. All he wanted was the tin of oysters he'd asked Utter to pick up on his last freight run. Fuck huge Christmas feasts, fuck hanging up stockings, fuck those dreadfully cheerful carolers, and fuck that cocksucker Santa Claus, who had certainly never dropped down Al's chimney, even during those brief years when he could have been considered on the 'good children' list. But most of all, fuck the idea of having a Christmas tree

The camp was really growing. This was further proof of that. Standing on the balcony, hands shoved under his arms against the cold, Al stared down into the thoroughfare. One of the damned fools in the tent down the way had brought a wagon full of trees and now had them set out for sale. That was just what he needed. Now he'd never hear the fucking end of it from Johnny.

But the very fact that there were enough people willing to buy the trees to be worth the trouble of getting them was a sign of a growing civilization. Johnny may not understand that, maybe not even Dan. Adams would probably get it, if Al were in a mood to air these particular thoughts. Christmas trees weren't that different from telegraph poles when it came down to it.

Deadwood was on its way to becoming downright civilized. It was happening faster than Al had thought it would. Most people looked at formations of government, treaties, that kind of shit. But Al knew you could tell a lot by looking at the smaller signs. People celebrating holidays, bringing along their traditions, it was a sign of things to come.

It meant that people weren't just passing through, weren't just looking to make a quick dollar prospecting and then move on. Christmas meant families. It meant stability. And for people like Al, it meant the fucking game was on its way to changing completely. When men had their wives and children with them, they wanted laws to protect them, and the ad-fucking-hoc committee that had been set up in the meantime wasn't going to be enough.

Al's grasp on Deadwood could slip away in an instant if that's how Yankton decided to play it. He and Dan had built this damned place, had dragged it up from a patch of dirt into a real fucking town. But so far, it had been Al's town. No law, no government, exactly how he liked it. Al was all for progress, as long as he was out in front of it. But it was starting to seem like he was one step behind these days.

And Johnny wanted a fucking Christmas tree. Wanted Al to put up a symbol of his own, all but inevitable, coming demise. Well, he didn't care how many reproachful looks Johnny gave him, didn't care how many times Trixie rolled her eyes at his refusals, it wasn't going to happen. He very well might lose control of this place completely, but he'd be damned if he'd welcome it with open arms. He'd go down fighting, same as he had every other fucking time.

As far as Al was concerned, Christmas could be fucked.


End file.
